PLUS
Learning science while having fun 5 (boys)
Can learn if you choose the right missions 4 (boys)
Can buy stuff 13 (girls)
Cool avatars 4 (boys)
Pick own character 8
You can explore 11
Conversations with speech bubbles 6
Sand dollars 10
Get paid after mission 11
Two player 6
Can see the science we are learning 8
Different regions on the island 9
DELTA
Can’t save 14
Annoying to difficult pictures because the mayor never thinks they are good enough 9 (girls)
Difficult to maneuver character 12 (girls)
Can’t swim 15
Player 2 starts with same data character 1 had 13
Rushing water sound is annoying 12 (girls)
Difficult for English language learners 8 (girls)
You can’t die – there is no end 17
Can’t create own avatar 20
Hard to find money 8
Annoying that you can’t walk everywhere (areas off limits) 11
Not enough film 13
Don’t understand the main focus of the game 12 (girls)
Walk and move weird – distracting 12
Player moves slowly, even when running 8
Sand dollar currency 10
How do we know how to jump or zoom in and out? 9
Tutorial not detailed 11
There should be side missions that must be completed for the bigger mission 14
People seem depressed 10 (girls)
Can’t zoom out far enough 11
More people on the island 17
More exciting missions 17
Don’t like the invisible walls that prohibit movement 13
- It’s disappointing to see things in the distance and not be able to explore them
There needs to be a way to mess up so it’s more realistic; failure and death should be options 17
You should be able to fall off mountains, etc., to make it more realistic 8
The unblinking eyes of the characters freak me out 12
Missions should take longer and be more difficult 15
You should be able to swim to the boat; you should have to swim fast because a shark is chasing you 20
STAR
Have people actually talk to you instead of a speech bubble 9
Things chasing you 4
More people help you on your mission (friends, meet new characters) 19
Character-to-character texting 15
Vehicle 18
- Dirt bike, motocycle, jeep, skateboard, atv, go cart, submarine
More realistic graphics 17
Earn a pet to learn about adaptations 11 (girls)
Have a shelter or home 12
Be able to buy more stuff 15
- Clothes
- Vehicle
- Wings or something else to help you travel faster
- Hut and accessories
- Character upgrades
- Swim gear, climbing gear
- Required items for quests
- Food
- Pet
Booby traps and other bad things should happen to you 12
Day/night and weather on the island 8
If you bump into something, it should move like in real life 13
An enemy on the island trying to hurt you 15
See the other avatars playing the game 15
Have a map of the island 16
Instead of collecting sand dollars to buy stuff, have that stuff on the island for you to find 15
Competitive mini games 10
Solve mysteries 15
Find crystals; the name is Crystal Island, but there are no crystals 12
More islands 13
Checkpoints that automatically save your progress 17
Start the game with sand dollars 10
Have realistic meters – you must buy things to satisfy these meters 16
- Hunger
- Health (heart)
- mood
- thirst
- Knowledge
- Levels
Special sand dollars that are worth more 14
Time limit on mission 2
Hidden secret areas (like the waterfall glitch) 19
Make it like a choose-your-own adventure book (get choices of actions) 16
There should be movies to watch to learn stuff (maybe a film projector hut) 10
Secret codes to unlock cool things on the island 12
Have cool cut scenes throughout the game 12
Teacher Group Report on students’ feedback: PLUS · Can learn a lot of science if you choose the right conversation – they felt like they were shaping their game · Loved how much Science they were learning, ecosystems, directions, finances · Definitions provided for each landform · Prompted their thinking · It was fun · Liked that this was a game (rather than Study Island) · Characters all had different personalities · Liked the graphics · Like that they could choose on avatar · Liked that they could spend their own currency · Instructions were easy · Instructions weren’t too wordy, it was easy to read and move on · Students felt successful because they were accomplishing missions · Like that the setting was outdoors · Likes multiple little mission o Thought the world was expansive · “Real-life”
DELTA · Couldn’t dress their avatars · The island was too small · Thought is was kind of easy since they had already studied landform concept · Could not swim – needed swimsuit, flippers · Couldn’t by enough things · Could not stop and start game or save their information/progress
Not so much a lot of deltas, rather students made lots of suggestions because they thought it was cool to be able to give input into the design of a game. They really used their imaginations.
Poptropica is a very popular game that kids play online, so students made a lot comments based on their experiences with Poptropica (http://www.poptropica.com/).
SUGGESTIONS · Add voice over for students have difficulty learning · Add more ecosystems that overlap · Where were the robots that were mentioned in early design discussions? · Give us the map at the beginning · Make the missions more complex – create multiple steps to missions · Add some element of danger to the game · Add a meter to show avatar’s condition – need for water, rest, more food · Want access 24/7 · Add some cut-scenes – times when you can just watch some animation – see Study Jams (http://studyjams.scholastic.com/sj/index.htm) · Add a movie hut · Make speech bubbles a little more real (instead of text lines at the bottom of the screen)
Teachers noted that the range of feedback – Plus/Delta was balanced across students
PLUS
Learning science while having fun 5 (boys)
Can learn if you choose the right missions 4 (boys)
Can buy stuff 13 (girls)
Cool avatars 4 (boys)
Pick own character 8
You can explore 11
Conversations with speech bubbles 6
Sand dollars 10
Get paid after mission 11
Two player 6
Can see the science we are learning 8
Different regions on the island 9
DELTA
Can’t save 14
Annoying to difficult pictures because the mayor never thinks they are good enough 9 (girls)
Difficult to maneuver character 12 (girls)
Can’t swim 15
Player 2 starts with same data character 1 had 13
Rushing water sound is annoying 12 (girls)
Difficult for English language learners 8 (girls)
You can’t die – there is no end 17
Can’t create own avatar 20
Hard to find money 8
Annoying that you can’t walk everywhere (areas off limits) 11
Not enough film 13
Don’t understand the main focus of the game 12 (girls)
Walk and move weird – distracting 12
Player moves slowly, even when running 8
Sand dollar currency 10
How do we know how to jump or zoom in and out? 9
Tutorial not detailed 11
There should be side missions that must be completed for the bigger mission 14
People seem depressed 10 (girls)
Can’t zoom out far enough 11
More people on the island 17
More exciting missions 17
Don’t like the invisible walls that prohibit movement 13
- It’s disappointing to see things in the distance and not be able to explore them
There needs to be a way to mess up so it’s more realistic; failure and death should be options 17
You should be able to fall off mountains, etc., to make it more realistic 8
The unblinking eyes of the characters freak me out 12
Missions should take longer and be more difficult 15
You should be able to swim to the boat; you should have to swim fast because a shark is chasing you 20
STAR
Have people actually talk to you instead of a speech bubble 9
Things chasing you 4
More people help you on your mission (friends, meet new characters) 19
Character-to-character texting 15
Vehicle 18
- Dirt bike, motocycle, jeep, skateboard, atv, go cart, submarine
More realistic graphics 17
Earn a pet to learn about adaptations 11 (girls)
Have a shelter or home 12
Be able to buy more stuff 15
- Clothes
- Vehicle
- Wings or something else to help you travel faster
- Hut and accessories
- Character upgrades
- Swim gear, climbing gear
- Required items for quests
- Food
- Pet
Booby traps and other bad things should happen to you 12
Day/night and weather on the island 8
If you bump into something, it should move like in real life 13
An enemy on the island trying to hurt you 15
See the other avatars playing the game 15
Have a map of the island 16
Instead of collecting sand dollars to buy stuff, have that stuff on the island for you to find 15
Competitive mini games 10
Solve mysteries 15
Find crystals; the name is Crystal Island, but there are no crystals 12
More islands 13
Checkpoints that automatically save your progress 17
Start the game with sand dollars 10
Have realistic meters – you must buy things to satisfy these meters 16
- Hunger
- Health (heart)
- mood
- thirst
- Knowledge
- Levels
Special sand dollars that are worth more 14
Time limit on mission 2
Hidden secret areas (like the waterfall glitch) 19
Make it like a choose-your-own adventure book (get choices of actions) 16
There should be movies to watch to learn stuff (maybe a film projector hut) 10
Secret codes to unlock cool things on the island 12
Have cool cut scenes throughout the game 12
Teacher Group Report on students’ feedback:
PLUS
· Can learn a lot of science if you choose the right conversation – they felt like they were shaping their game
· Loved how much Science they were learning, ecosystems, directions, finances
· Definitions provided for each landform
· Prompted their thinking
· It was fun
· Liked that this was a game (rather than Study Island)
· Characters all had different personalities
· Liked the graphics
· Like that they could choose on avatar
· Liked that they could spend their own currency
· Instructions were easy
· Instructions weren’t too wordy, it was easy to read and move on
· Students felt successful because they were accomplishing missions
· Like that the setting was outdoors
· Likes multiple little mission
o Thought the world was expansive
· “Real-life”
DELTA
· Couldn’t dress their avatars
· The island was too small
· Thought is was kind of easy since they had already studied landform concept
· Could not swim – needed swimsuit, flippers
· Couldn’t by enough things
· Could not stop and start game or save their information/progress
Not so much a lot of deltas, rather students made lots of suggestions because they thought it was cool to be able to give input into the design of a game. They really used their imaginations.
Poptropica is a very popular game that kids play online, so students made a lot comments based on their experiences with Poptropica (http://www.poptropica.com/).
SUGGESTIONS
· Add voice over for students have difficulty learning
· Add more ecosystems that overlap
· Where were the robots that were mentioned in early design discussions?
· Give us the map at the beginning
· Make the missions more complex – create multiple steps to missions
· Add some element of danger to the game
· Add a meter to show avatar’s condition – need for water, rest, more food
· Want access 24/7
· Add some cut-scenes – times when you can just watch some animation – see Study Jams (http://studyjams.scholastic.com/sj/index.htm)
· Add a movie hut
· Make speech bubbles a little more real (instead of text lines at the bottom of the screen)
Teachers noted that the range of feedback – Plus/Delta was balanced across students